Velocipede-bearing.



No. 639,4m.

Patented Dec. I9, |899. E. G. LATTA.

VELOCIPEDE BEARING.

(Application mad Dec. 10, 1895.)

(No Model.)

TH: Norms PaTERs co, mom-umn.. WASHINGTUH, n. c.

UNITED STATES- PATE'NT Urrrcin.

EMMIT G. LATTA, OF FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK.

vELoClPEDE-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `Patent No. 639,410, vdated December 19, 1899.

Application filed. December 10, 1895. Serial No. 571,627. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that LEMMIT G. LATTA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Friend-v ship, in the county of Allegany and Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Velocipede-Bearings, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates more especially to journal-bearings forvelocipedes.

It has for its chief object to produce a journal-bearing that can be easily and almost instaitly adjusted for wear without the use of too s.

The invention has the further objects to render the cups and cones capable of removal and replacement without disturbing the adj ustment of the cones, to so construct the bearings that when applied to a wheel the wheel may be removed from and replaced in the frame without disturbing the bearings, and that thebearings may be adjusted without affecting the connections between the wheel and the frame and so that in the case of the driving-wheel the chain may be adj usted without danger of disturbing the bearing adjustment, and, finally, to attain these various objects in a hub or bearing-box having cups which are simply screwed into the ends thereof and inclose the balls and cones in the Inost approved manner to retain oil and exclude dust. i

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the rearwheel hub and connecting parts of a velocipede containing my invention. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are cross-sections, respectively, in the correspondinglynumbered lines in Fig. 1.`

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing a modified construction of the bearing. 7 is a cross-section in line 7 7, Fig. 6. i j Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A is the stationary shaft or axle of the wheel, which is secured by the usual clamping-nuts a a in openings or slots formed in the forkarms or frame-lugs B B', the nut a serving also as a step.

. C is the wheel-hub, having the usual cylindrical form and provided at its ends with perforated flanges C for the attachmentof the spokes and at one end with the sprocket or driving wheel C2.

Fig.`

d ci' are the bearing-cups, secured in the ends of the wheel-hub and preferably are ranged to face inwardly', as shown.

e e are thebearing-cones, f the interposed two telescopic parts or sections E E', each carrying one of the cones. One of these sleevesections is arranged to slide lengthwise on the other, the left-hand section being shown in the drawings as the movable one. The other section engages with the axle by screw-threads e2, formed on the respective parts, and it interlocks with the fork-lug, so as to be held against turning. For this purpose the outer end of the nonfsliding sleeve-section may be flattened and extended into theflat-sided open* ing or slot of the forklug, as shown in Fig. '5. The two sleeve-sections are connected by an adj ustin g-collar G, having, preferably, dierential or right and left hand screw-threads g g', which engage, respectively, with the sleeve-sections E E. In the construction shown in the drawings this adjustingfcolfar has an internal screw-thread which engages with the non-sliding sleeve-section E and an external screw-thread of different pitch which engages with the sliding Vsleeve-section E. The latter is held against turning with reference vto Vthe non-sliding sleeve-section by ak radial screw or pin 71 carried by the sliding section and entering a longitudinal sloth', formed in the other section. By this construction the movable cone c, carried by the sliding sleeve-section, is compelled to move toward or from the opposing bearing-cup upon turning the differential adj Listing-collar in one or the other direction.A

i is a detent or spring which holds the adjustin g-collar against accidental rotation and which is secured at one end to the sliding sleeve-section E, preferably by the screw h, f

and engages with its free end in one of an annular series of notches formed in a serrated iauge g2 of the adjusting-collar.

j is a movable coupling bolt or plunger carried by the wheel-hub and adapted to engage with the adjusting-collar G, so as vto compel roo the same to turn with the hub. This bolt or plunger is preferably combined 'with an oilcup K, as shown in the drawings. The stem of this oil-cup is screwed into an opening or socket 7c of the wheel-hub, and the bolt ,i is guided in an axial opening formed in the stem, so as to be capable of sliding radially in the hub. The bolt is arranged opposite the enlarged head of the adjusting-collar G, and this head is provided with an annular series of notches Z, with one of which the inner end ofthe bolt is adapted to interlock, as shown in Fig. 4. The bolt carries at its outer end a cap j', which closes the outer end of the oil-cup K.

m is a spring applied to the boltj between the capj and the bottom of the oil-cup and serving to retract the bolt normally into a position in which it clears the adjusting-collar G, as shown in Fig. l. The bolt is provided at its inner end with a head or shoulder jg, ywhich limits its outward movement by 'much larger in diameter than the body thereof as the size of the threads, while the opposite screw-threaded end of the axle is of the same diameter as its body.

In assembling the parts the sleeve-sections E E are first connected by the differential adjusting-collar G, and the detent-spring i is secured to the movable section by the screw h. The sleeve is then placed into the wheelhub and supported and held in position therein, by inserting the balls and applying the bearing-cups to the ends of 'the hub. The nut f is next placed in the open center of the left-hand cup, and the wheel is thereupon placed in the frame. Then the axle is passed into the cone-carrying sleeve from the righthand end thereof and screwed intolsaid end and into the nut f at the left-hand end of the sleeve. Next the end nut a' and step d are loosely screwed upon the axle. The driving-chain is then adjusted, and, finally, said nut and step are tightened to firmly secure the axle to the frame,

By making the screw-threaded portions of the axle of different diameters, as shown, the axle can be screwed into the sleeve from the right, and after passing through the sleeve v its smaller thread can be screwed into the nut opposite the left-hand end of the wheel-hub, permitting each end of the axle to be locked to the bicycle frame independently. This particular construction is, however, not essential and may be modified, if desired.

In order to adjust the bearings, the coupling bolt or plunger j is pressed inwardly, so as to interlock it with an opposing notch of the adjusting-collar G, .as shown in Fig. 4, and the wheel is then turned, so as to turn said collar. As the sliding sleeve-section E is held against turning, the differential screw connection between the adjusting-collar and the sections of the coned sleeve compels the sliding` section to move toward or from the 0pposing bearin g-cu p, according to the direction in which the wheel is turned, thus practically lengthening or shortening the connectingsleeve of the cones. The spring-detent z' automaticall y locks the adjusting-collar in place, and the coupling-bolt j on being released is returned to its normal position by its spring.

Vhilc I prefer to employ a plunger or coupling-bolt which is permanently attached to the hub or bearing-box', it is obvious that the bolt might be dispensed with vand the adjusting-collar held against turning in adjusting the bearing by a suitable implement-such as a screw-driver, a nail, or a piece of wire passed through the opening in the wall of the hub or bearing-box a-nd engaged with a notch of said collar. Y

Sufficient space is left between the nut f at the left-hand end of the hub and the adjacent cone e to permit the requisite outward movement of the coned sleeve in adjusting the bearings. This permits the bearings to be adjusted without disturbing the nuts or connections between the axle and the frame of the machine.

When itis desired to remove the wheel from the frame, the axle is released by removing.

the end nut-s a a', and the axle is then unscrewed from the coned sleeve E E. The wheel is then moved forward in the frame to loosen the chain, which latter can now be removed from the sprocketwheel,and the wheel isthen taken out of the frame without withdrawing the j oint-bolt from the driving-chain. This is an important advantage, as the frequent removal of the joint-bolt causes the same to wear loose. By the use of my improved bearingafter replacing the wheel in the frame, the adjustment of the bearings is the same as it was before the removal of the wheel.

The outer ends of the nut f and the fixed cone e3 are reduced, as' shown, so as to form stops or shoulders against which the frame members bear and against which they are clamped by the nuts a a.

In the modified construction of my improvement shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the cones es c4 are independent and mounted directly on the axle. The right-hand cone e3 lis screwed upon the axle, while the left-hand cone is formed on the sliding sleeve E2, which latter "is held against turning by the screw h2 engaging in a longitudinal slot in the axle. In this case the'internal screw-thread of the differential adjusting-collar G' engages with an external thread on the axle. In other respects the construction is the same as that first described. This modied bearing is adjusted in the same lnanner as in the construc- IIO tion previously described; but the axle canl. The combination with a hub or bearing-` box having a bearing-cup, a cone and an interposed row of balls at each end thereof, of a shaft or axle passing centrally through said hub or box, a rotary adjusting-collar surrounding the shaftor axle between said cones and acting to move one of the cones length- Wise of the axle, and a coupling device carried by said hub or box and arranged to engage with said adjusting-collar, said coupling device being accessible frorn the outside of the hub or box, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination With a hub or bearingbox having a bearing-cup, a cone and an inyterposed row of balls at each end thereof, of

a shaft or axle passing centrally through said hub or box, a rotary adjusting-collar surrounding the shaft or axle between said cones and acting to move one of the cones length- Wise of the axle, a coupling-bolt sliding in an opening in said hub or box and adapted to interlock With said adjusting-collar, and a spring whereby said bolt is normally retracted, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with ahub or bearingboX having a bearing-cup, a cone and an interposed row of balls at each end thereof,' of a shaft oraXle passing centrally through said hub or box, a rotary adjusting-collar surrounding the sh aft or axle betvveensaid cones and acting to move one of the cones length- Wise of the axle, a spring-bolt sliding in an opening in said hub or box and adapted to interlock with said adj Listing-collar, and a spring-detent for yieldingy holding said collar against turning7 substantially as set forth.

EMMIT G. LATTA. 1

Witnesses:

H. L. BLossoM, C. J. RICE. 

